Davina And The Dire Wolf

Peppermint and Roses

“Aunt Carly!!!”, Davina exclaimed excitedly while throwing her arms around her aunt and hugging her tightly. “Hey young one!”, Aunt Carly said. “Where’s your mama?” Davina looked in the direction Richard had walked off in towards the master bedroom. “I believe she’s back there..” Davina pointed. Aunt Carly started walking in that direction. “Jolene…” Aunt Carly called out in search of her baby sister. Aunt Carly was the eldest sister.

Jolene appeared from her room and smiled upon seeing her sister. “Hey what brings you this way today?” Jolene smiled knowingly. Richard appeared behind Jolene, bags packed for his hunting trip. Aunt Carly ignored his appearance and said, “I came to see how my baby sister was doing!” Richard looked like he had a sour taste in his mouth and turned to Jolene saying, “I’ll see you later.” and headed towards the door. Richard hated Aunt Carly because Aunt Carly wouldn’t hesitate to let him know if he was wrong. Aunt Carly didn’t like Richard at all, she hated the way that man treated her sister. When she found out how he was treating her niece, Davina, she despised him even more.

Davina tried to make herself invisible as Richard walked by. Luckily he didn’t even look in her direction and just kept walking until the door closed behind him. Davina breathed in a sigh of relief. When he left, he always took the heaviness from the air with him. It was like a weight being lifted.

Jolene and Aunt Carly walked into the living room where Davina was as they discussed the flowers they planned to plant. “Well it’s kind of tough on me the older I get, I sure could use a helping hand with all this gardening..” said Aunt Carly. Davina’s eyes sparkled and she looked at Jolene pleadingly. Jolene sighed and tuned to aunt Carly and said, “Oh alright go ahead.. take Davina but just make sure she’s back in time for school Monday.” Aunt Carly beamed with approval, “Don’t worry, I’ll have her back.” Aunt Carly and Jolene both exchanged smiles. Aunt Carly said, “You better go and pack some clothes now.” Davina didn’t hesitate and quickly made her way to her room to pack a bag.

Excitement boiled in the pit of her stomach. If she could live with aunt Carly, she would. She vaguely remembers literally asking if she could go live with aunt Carly when she was little. Of course that answer had been no.. much to Davina’s misfortune. It’s a shame too, because aunt Carly’s mate had long passed away from a rare heart condition and she now lived there all alone. Davina would have gladly kept her company through all of those days.

She finished packing her gym bag and headed out to meet aunt Carly. “Well daylight will be gone before we know it, we better get going”, said aunt Carly. Davina hugged her mother and headed out the door with aunt Carly. She hopped up into aunt Carly’s old green truck. It had old worn out cloth-covered seats that felt inviting and warm to the touch.

It was the month of May and everything was becoming so beautiful and green outside. The sun warmed the seats and herself, making her so relaxed she could have easily taken a nap. She thoroughly enjoyed the drive to aunt Carly’s house, and when they arrived she could immediately smell the peppermint growing by the front door.

Aunt Carly lived in a cottage on the edge of the pack. Both the Green River pack and the rogue lands were on either side of her. It wasn’t the safest place to live if you considered the proximity of the rogue lands, but Aunt Carly had lived here for many many years and never once had a problem. The sweet smell of her roses blooming wafted through the air. Aunt Carly had the most beautiful roses. They walked up the stone steps to the front door and opened the screen door to walk inside.

The familiar smell of aunt Carly’s home filled Davina with a sense of comfort and ease. Aunt Carly escorted her to her room. “Sorry it’s a little dusty in here honey,” said aunt Carly. “I keep forgetting to dust this room but I’ll fix it for you right away!” she continued. Davina looked at aunt Carly and said, “Please, don’t stress yourself about it, I’m not concerned with a little dust. I’m just happy to be here with you!” Aunt Carly wrapped her in a big hug and said, “And nothing makes my day more than to have my favorite niece over to spend the weekend with me! This old lady gets awfully lonely around here!” Davina smiled sat her bag down at the foot of the bed. “So how about some gardening?” she beamed. “I’ll go get our gloves!” said aunt Carly.

They started with the flower beds, pulling weeds and grass away and adding some compost. Davina didn’t mind helping aunt Carly at all. After all, it’s never really work when you are having a good time! She was focused on her work when she suddenly noticed aunt Carly stand up and walk inside. Aunt Carly returned with some various candies. Davina caught a strange smell on the wind all of a sudden. “What is that?..” Davina said.

Aunt Carly responded, “Follow me, you can meet Obi.” Davina curiously followed aunt Carly to the edge of the woods. There in the shadows was a little dark skinned boy with smoky blue colored eyes. He hid behind a tree shyly. Aunt Carly spoke, “Obi, this is my niece Davina. She is my family.” Aunt Carly handed Davina the candies and motioned for her to give them to Obi.

Davina knelt down and extended her hand, “Would you like some candies, Obi?” said Davina. The shy little boy walked towards her slowly and grabbed the candy with his little hands before running back behind the tree. “Tell your mother hello for me Obi.” said aunt Carly. The cute little boy smiled for a brief second before running off into the woods with his new treasure.

Aunt Carly and Davina walked back towards the garden. “The reason he smells different.. is because he is a rogue child.” said aunt Carly. “His mother lost her mate also. They don’t live very far away. It’s good to help your neighbors, they are not so different from many of us.” Davina looked at her aunt in admiration. It was prohibited to speak with rogues, but aunt Carly had a moral code that rivaled any rules. She could not be controlled that easily. They both continued working in the garden until the sun cast a golden glow over everything it touched.